NEW ZEALAND MEAT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22509, 17 September 1938, Page 13

NEW ZEALAND MEAT

THE LAMB AND MUTTON QUOTA

MR A. J. MURRAY»S INVESTIGATIONS

(FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, August 14. Mr A. J. Murray, of Woodbank, Marlborough, during his extended visit to England, has been interesting himself in stock and market matters as they affect New Zealand. He attended the Royal Show at Wolverhampton, he was present at the London July wool sales, and he has been more than once to Smithfield meat market.

As a result of his inspections at Smithfield he has formed the conclusion, In the case of New Zealand lamb carcases, that some improvement is necessary in the dressing, not so much in the butchering as in the wiping down of crutch and necks. This applies only in very isolated cases. Also, he is thoroughly satisfied that the properly finished lamb, 32 to 341 b, is the ideal weight for marketing. It was naturally interesting for Mr Murray to make comparisons of the qualities of lamb and mutton sent to Smithfield. by South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Feeling that New Zealand is not maintaining its reputation for quality in comparison with Australia, and wishing to ascertain the effect of the Ottawa quota, he has had compiled a table showing the official quantities and prices over a series of years. These figures are attached. Although the figures give the quantities in number of carcases, whereas the quotas are in hundredweights, they give some idea of the effect of the restrictions on South America. * These restrictions are a great deal due to the New Zealand representatives at Ottawa, and is the reason that the ruling prices of lamb . have been maintained in view of the increased quantities from Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand's Satisfactory Quota "It makes one woftder what' such prices would have been,'" remarked Mr Murray, "had not the Ottawa restrictions on foreign meat been made. From very reliable market intormation it is considered that supplies would have considerably exceeded the demand, with very serious results to New Zealand and Australia. Assuming that New Zealand lamb had been attectcd by Id per lb, and New Zealand mutton by id per lb—which is probably a very conservative estimate, it would be equivalent to a difference of more than £1,500,000 sterling yearly to New Zealand. The opinion of Smithfield market is that the conclusion of the Ottawa Conference in New Zealand getting such a satisfactory quota was due very considerably to the New Zealand representative, the Kt. Hon. J. G. Coates,. who was very ably supported by Mr DaVid Jon£s and Mr R.' S. Forsyth, of the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board.

Need for Fresh Blood It appears to Mr Murray to bo absolutely essential that New Zealand must in future do her utmost to retain the advantage in quality of mutton and lamb which she has had in the past, and in order to do this she must be given every opportunity of importing the best rams procurable. Authentic figures obtained from the office of the Ministry of Agriculture show that during the last seven years Australia has imported from the United Kingdom a total of 343 sheep, of which 221 were rams of the following breeds: —Border Leicester 23, Dorset Horn 21, Southdown 29, Ryeland 26, Suffolk 12, Lincoln 2, Romney Marsh 3, English Leicester 2, Kerry Hill 2, and Shropshire 1. These rams unquestionably are having the desired effect upon the quality of Australian lamb. During the same period, Australia has also imported 355 cattle through the London quarantine station, and 98 direct from Scotland.

Little Fear of Foot arid Mouth Realising how disastrous it would be if foot and mouth disease ever got into New Zealand, Mr Murray has gone very thoroughly into the question of the - embargo, with different reliable British Government officials. "The result is that he is perfectly satisfied under the prevailing conditions and restrictions, there could be no chance whatever of the disease being introduced through the importation of stock from the United Kingdom. "I am assured." said Mr Murray, "that the virus takes from 24 hours to 10 days to develop in an animal, and as exported stock are quarantined for 14 days before being shipped,, the disease must be manifest before the time: of shipment. It appears to me there may possibly be a remote chance of the fodder for the voyage being contaminated. But I am assured, and have been shown, that extremely strict precautions are taken in connexion with procuring such fodder from an absolutely clean district. "Should,, however, by any chance — very minute—the fodder be contaminated* the animals would develop the disease long before the vessel arrived any where near: New Zealand. In any case,, there is ho reason why the required fodder should not be-sent from New Zealand, if thought \ necessary, i"When it is realised that. Australia has been importing cattle and sheep: for years' and years without getting foot arid mouth disease in their country, surely New Zealand can do the same."-.} • ■ , / Imports Into United Kingdom The following is the number of lamb and mutton carcases imported into the United Kingdom from . New, Zealand, Australia, and South America in the years 1914 and 1931 (the year of the outbreak of war and that prior to the; Ottawa agreement), and also those for 1935 and 1936, with the prices ruling ; -y

Lamb Carcases. Mutton Carcases • 3f6oo!oO<r (6d> 2,740,000 (4.6 d) AUstraha— ooq (g 2 ,640,000 (3.9 d) S. America — »„„„„„ , A „,* . , 300,000 i 5.9d) 2,020,000 (4.3 d) Totals—r •

6,100,000

7,400,000

1931 and Prior to Ottawa - Lamb Carcases. Mutton Carcases NeW 2 8 > 167?000"(7.76d> 2,284,000 (4.52 d) _A_u sti?&l i n 3,258,000 (6.40 d) 1,308,000 (3.46 d) S. Totals—

16,804,000

4,867,000

Year- 193!^—Prices W itno »*. Quantities Lamb. Mutton Price . - Price per lb; l per lb, d. \ " d. New Zealand .. 7,25 4.69 Australia - .. 0.39 3.38 S. America , .. 6.27, 4.02

Year 1938 f '. Lamb Carcases. Mutton. New Zealand—--8,575,000 (7.50 d) 1,835,000 (4.87 d) ,4,500,000 (6.78 d) 794,000 (4.20 d) S. America—--3,900,000 (6.56 d) 500,000 (4.41 d) Totals— ; ~ ~ ~~ 16,975,000 3,129,000 The above shows New 1 Zealand lamb has increased- between "1931 and 1936 by 408,000 carcases, and Australia "during the same period by- 1,242,000 carcases,- while South .America has declined by 1*479,000 carcases. . In 1931 New Zealand lamb, was realising 1.36 d more than Australian. In the year 1935 it was 0.86 d; and in 1936 0.72 d, showing very distinctly the ex- | tent to which Australia has improved her quality. '.-■--. « The above figures have been kindly supplied by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board's representative in ! London, Mr R. S. Forsyth, C.M.G. The South - American reduction has been solely due to the Ottawa Conference. ,